Fees for summer classes draw complaint

As public schools across California have scaled back or eliminated summer schools, programs with names such as “summer academies” or “summer enrichment” have popped up to fill the void.

The organizers — parent groups, nonprofit organizations and educational foundations — say the programs are independent from public schools, and provide students with opportunities for educational advancement — for a fee. Fees range from $50 to $500.

The programs are often held at public schools, taught by the teachers from that campus. Critics say the setup blurs the line between public and private schooling, violating the state constitution’s guarantee of a free public education.

An activist on the issue of free public education has filed a complaint with the State Department of Education over a Carlsbad nonprofit foundation’s summer academy, which she said is serving as a proxy for the Carlsbad Unified School District.

“This is not an independent program; they are running summer school,” said Sally Smith, the San Diego activist who has successfully challenged a number of public schools’ fee-based programs. “They are creating one education system for the haves and another for the have-nots.”

If the Department of Education sides with Smith, the decision could force refunds to families and hamper efforts to provide summer instruction amid tight budgets.

The Carlsbad Educational Foundation has held its high school summer academy each year since 2011.

Classes are held at Carlsbad High, and the foundation mainly hires Carlsbad teachers who are on summer vacation.

The foundation charges nearly $500 for two course offerings, and $250 for one. Scholarships are available for students who meet income-based requirements.

Valin Brown, the foundation’s CEO, said the program operates much like a community college, where high-school students can take fee-based courses and receive high-school credit for them.

Brown said it was modeled after other similar nonprofit programs in Southern California, including foundations in Alhambra, Arcadia, Calabasas, Redlands and Palos Verdes.

Within San Diego Unified, similar programs have emerged, such as a fee-based summer enrichment program at Torrey Pines Elementary School, which is put on by its parent foundation.

“This is a local solution available for kids all around North County,” Brown said. “It isn’t just all Carlsbad kids. We offer regional offerings for first-time advancement credit from a stand-alone educational foundation.”

Brown said that one key difference between the summer academy and public summer schools is that students are not allowed to take classes to improve poor grades during the school year, a staple of regular summer schools.

“That is not an area we want to be involved with,” Brown said. “That blurs the line between what public schools and nonprofits can do. We were smart about not having it be a part of our program.”

One of the programs the Carlsbad foundation was modeled after is the AAA Academy in Redlands, which is organized by the Redlands Educational Partnership Foundation.

The Redlands program started in 2004 after school budget cuts.

Sherry Edwards, the Redlands academy director, said the program has allowed students to get ahead, making them more attractive to colleges.